The Museum of Monterey has over 50,000 works relating to the city's history, ranging from photographs and documents, to costumes, for visitors to experience.

The Monterey Museum of Art collects and showcases art works from California from the 19th century to today, as well as collections of American and Asian art and photography exhibits. Many world renowned artists and their works are featured, including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and the photography of Ansel Adams.

The National Steinbeck Center is a museum, research center, and memorial to the Nobel Prize winning author John Steinbeck in his hometown of Salinas. The center displays many photographs, artifacts, and original first-editions of Steinbeck's novels, such as Pulitzer Prize winner Grapes of Wrath and the well-known Of Mice and Men.

The Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History allows visitors to explore and learn about the birds, wildlife, geology, and human histories of California's central coast. Permanent exhibits include a life-size gray whale, a native plant collection, taxidermied insects, and hundreds of native birds.

Point Pinos Lighthouse is the West Coast's oldest continuously operating lighthouse and has been keeping ships safe off of Monterey Bay's coast since its construction in 1855.

Also in the area are the old Spanish missionaries of Carmel, Soledad, and Jolo. They're worth checking out for their histories and architectural beauty.